The 2009 Victorian Bushfires brought devastation and destruction on a scale never
before experienced in modern Australia. The “Black Saturday” firestorm claimed a
harrowing 173 lives, destroyed over 1,800 homes and burned more than
400,000 hectares of regional Victoria’s landscape.

The impact of Black Saturday
surpassed both the 1983 Ash
Wednesday and 1939 Black Friday
fires. Local families and communities
will feel the tragic effects of the
fires long after their homes, schools and workplaces are rebuilt.
The response effort to contain and control a natural disaster the
size and scale of Black Saturday requires a number of roles to be
undertaken.
Eurocopter products played an active part in responding to the
crisis. The flexibility of Eurocopter’s helicopters saw them engaged
in the front line battle to fight the fires from the air, operate rescue
missions airlifting residents in the fires’ paths and providing media
footage that was beamed across the country and around the
world.
Moorabbin, Victoria based Microflite exclusively flies Eurocopter
helicopters. With their experienced pilots, central location and mix
of cutting edge machinery, Microflite were well positioned to assist
during the natural disaster.
Jonathan Booth, Managing Director Microflite is understandably
proud of the role his team of pilots and helicopters took during
the horrific event: “Microflite committed five helicopters to the
response and containment effort. For all the Microflite pilots
involved, the Black Saturday memories will remain with them
forever. Black Saturday was a terrifying experience for many
Victorians. However, out of the tragedy and turmoil came stories
of great courage and bravery. We met many unique Australians
during the response.
In particular, Microflite relocated a mother and her baby who survived
the fire in Narbethong. The overwhelming look of relief on
the mother’s face as she realized they were both safe will forever
be etched in our minds. At an operational level, Microflite’s support
to Australia’s emergency teams placed Eurocopter’s products
at the frontline to the bushfire response. Our EC120 Firebird
316 provided aerial support to one of the Victorian Government’s
firebombing helicopters. A couple of our choppers also supported
media in getting footage and images out from the disaster area,
helping to tell the story and raise awareness around the world.
We sincerely hope this contributed towards the unprecedented
groundswell of public donations immediately following Black
Saturday.”
Education and preparation can go a long way towards minimizing
the impact of bushfires in Australia’s dry landscape. However,
the sheer size and magnitude of Black Saturday had never before
been encountered. During times of natural disaster, Australian
Aerospace and Eurocopter remain ready to actively work with
emergency response teams to fight the threat, relocate survivors
and restore a sense of normality into the lives of those affected.

In the wake of the 2009 Victorian Bushfires, Australian
Aerospace continued its relationship with local charity
the Day of Difference Foundation, donating money towards
the charity’s purchase of equipment to treat burn patients
in Victorian hospitals. As news of the bushfires reached
Australian Aerospace, the organization banded together
to provide meaningful relief and support on behalf of the
company’s Australian and New Zealand staff.